More than 75 years after fighting in the siege of Myitkyina (Myt’keena), Burma during WWII, Cpl. Ralph L. Bennett is returning home to Iowa.  Bennett, a 22-year-old Ames, Iowa native serving with the Headquarters Company, 209th Engineer Combat Battalion, was last seen June 13, 1944 as his unit participated in the siege of Myitkyina, after they successfully took an airfield west of Myitkyina from Japanese control. After the battle at Myitkyina, Bennett was reported Killed in Action (KIA). Despite initial efforts, U.S. forces were unable to recover Bennett’s remains.

Cpl. Ralph L. Bennett

Cpl. Ralph L. Bennett

The remains of fallen U.S. troops in the region were buried in at least eight different temporary cemeteries and numerous isolated burial locations, according to the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). Eventually, all known burials were concentrated into the U.S. Military Cemetery at Myitkyina, then later disinterred and transferred to the U.S. Military Cemetery at Kalaikunda, India.

One set of remains was reportedly disinterred in October 1947 and transferred to Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, where they were unable to be identified. They were subsequently buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu, in March 1949. Due to new historical investigations and new technology that could link an identification to the remains, they were disinterred in July 2018 by the DPAA. Dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial evidence, were used in the identification of Bennett’s remains in 2018.

Bennett’s military awards and honors include the Purple Heart, Army Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (with one bronze service star), World War II Victory Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, and Honorable Service Lapel Button – World War II.  A memorial service will be held at the Ames Municipal Cemetery, 2019 E. 9th St., Ames, Iowa this Saturday, August 3rd at 11:00 a.m., with full military honors provided by the Iowa National Guard. The public is welcome to attend the memorial service.

Cass County ISU Extension is offering three different camps and workshops to wrap up summer before school starts in late August. With a variety of topics, there’s something for everyone to get in a little day camp fun before the summer’s over. Here’s a list of the upcoming Youth Day Camps and registration information:

Tuesday August 6- Rainwater Runoff STEM Day Camp for 3-5th graders:

Design, Build and test a model of subsoil for a rain garden, and learn how We All Live in a Watershed from the ISU Water Rocks! Team. Youth will develop an understanding of how water is distributed on earth and how several kinds of pollution affect natural sources of water! There is no cost to attend this camp, and any youth who have completed 3rd-5th grade are invited to sign up for this day of hands-on learning! Camp will be held at the Cass County Community Center, 805 W 10th Street in Atlantic. Please RSVP by August 5 to the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132. Space is limited so register early! Plan to bring a sack lunch to this camp.

Tuesday August 13- Fun with BOTS Camp for K-2nd graders: Join Extension staff on August 13 from 9 AM– 3 PM to learn all about robotics! Work with Bee-Bots, Hexbugs and Dash & Dot to master how robots work and move. Learn to code and program different machines. Dash & Dot are even going to do fun fair-related activities! There is no cost to attend this camp, and any youth who have completed K-2nd grade are invited to sign up for this fun day camp! Camp will be held at the Cass County Community Center, 805 W 10th Street in Atlantic. Please RSVP by August 9 to the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132. Space is limited so register early! Plan to bring a sack lunch to this camp.

Tuesday August 20- Babysitting Basics Workshop for Youth age 11-15: A course on how to build the skills necessary to be a successful babysitter. Any youth ages 11-15 who are interested in learning the skills to be a successful babysitter is welcome to attend. The workshop will be held on Tuesday, August 20, 2019 at the Cass County Community Center, 805 W 10th Street in Atlantic from 9 AM to 4 PM. There is a $10 fee per participant to sign up. Lunch is provided, along with a babysitting take home bag.

To register, bring a completed registration form and medical release/information form, along with enrollment fee, to the Cass County Extension Office by August 16. Register early! Space is limited. Snacks and lunch will be provided. For more information on any of these camps, or to register, visit the Extension website at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass, stop by the Cass County Extension Office, or call (712) 243-1132.

Officials with the Harlan Police Department say they have been receiving numerous calls with regard to the phone calls being made to citizens, from persons claiming to be from the Social Security Administration (SSA). The caller demands payment or says that they will be arrested if the person called doesn’t pay. THIS IS A SCAM. Simply hang up. Don’t give out any information or send any funds of any kind. The SSA will never contact you by phone.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Board of Education has adopted new rules that would require lap-shoulder seat belts on all new buses bought by school districts and state-accredited nonpublic schools. The administrative rules adopted Thursday are still subject to legislative review. Other safety equipment required includes one additional stop arm per bus, hand rails, exterior boarding lights and fire-resistant crash barriers between the front bus seats and the bus drivers.

Districts won’t have to retrofit their current fleets. The rules apply to new buses manufactured on or after Oct. 2, the date the new rules are scheduled to take effect. In 2018 the National Transportation Safety Board recommended lap-shoulder seat belts on all new school buses.

The pursuit of a semi this (Thursday) morning in Polk County ended with the driver being tased. According to WHO-TV in Des Moines, the pursuit began  just east of Altoona in the westbound lanes of Interstate 80, near mile marker 143. Sgt. Nathan Ludwig with the Iowa State Patrol, told the station when a state trooper tried to pull the semi over at around 6:30-a.m., the driver took off.

A pursuit that followed went on for about 13 miles before the rig stopped just short of stop-sticks on I-80/35, under the 86th Street Bridge. The driver of the semi, 46-year-old Ryan Tourtillott of Apple Valley, California, refused to leave the vehicle, and was not responding to the six officers ordering him to get out of the truck. After officers deployed a Taser, Tourtillott was transported to the hospital for evaluation.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa is falling short on deterring kids from using tobacco, according to a new report from the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network. Danielle Oswald-Thole, the organization’s Iowa government relations director, blames the state’s tobacco tax, which can help push kids away from smoking, though Iowa’s tax is far below the national average. “We haven’t passed a significant increase in the tobacco tax since 2007 when we passed a dollar increase,” Oswald-Thole says. “So, that’s over 12 years ago, even though we know that that is an evidence-based policy that would save lives and save money.”

The annual report ranks how well states are implementing policies to reduce cancer rates. Danielle Oswald-Thole says it estimates more than a quarter of cancer deaths in the state are connected to tobacco. “Fifty-one-hundred Iowans are estimated to die this year because of tobacco-related illness and disease,” she says, “and 55,000 Iowa kids alive today will die prematurely if we do nothing and we continue the status quo.”

The report estimates nearly 18,000 Iowans will be diagnosed with cancer this year.

(Thanks to Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) — Attorneys for the State of Iowa are challenging a jury’s verdict against former Governor Terry Branstad. The jury awarded Christopher Godfrey one-and-a-half million dollars after concluding Branstad retaliated against the former Workers Compensation Commissioner because he’s gay. After taking office in 2010, Branstad asked Godfrey to resign in the middle of Godfrey’s six-year term. When Godfrey refused, his salary was cut by a third. Branstad’s legal team argues there was not enough evidence to prove that Godfrey’s sexuality was behind that decision. Godfrey’s attorney, Roxanne Conlin, says that was for the jury to decide.

“There is nothing that anyone can do to change the fact that the jury found that Terry Branstad, Governor of the State of Iowa, discriminated against Chris Godfrey because he was gay,” Conlin said. The state’s attorneys also argue reducing Godfrey’s pay was within the governor’s authority. In a motion filed Wednesday, they ask the judge to either reverse the jury’s verdict or order a new trial.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Grant Gerlock)

You’re invited to join “Take Back Bridgewater, Iowa” for the “Bridgewater Night Out,” Tuesday, August 6th, from 6-until 8-p.m. The event takes place at Bridgewater City Park, and features a
Pot Luck Meal, Fun Activities & Social Time with Good Neighbors. Residents and “Friends of Bridgewater” are WELCOME to attend.

Food served will include: Hot Dogs; Potato Chips; Baked Beans; Lemonade & Ice Tea; Condiments and table service WILL be provided. The meal begins at 6-p.m. You’re asked to please bring a lawn chair and a dessert, salad or side dish to share for the pot luck (if you wish.) Kids should bring a towel if they will be participating in the water fights, which take place after the meal.

Other fun activities will include: Parachute – Beach Ball Game; Yard Games; Pedal Go Cart; and “Meet a Cop – Adair County Sheriff’s Department” – Car tours (Tentative); and Kids Prize Giveaways.  Wear your “I Believe in Bridgewater, Iowa” T-shirt if you have one. Free Will Donations are being accepted for “Take Back Bridgewater, Iowa.”

Special Thanks to Bridgewater Fire and EMS, Adair County Sheriff’s Department and Zion Recovery for participating. Take Back Bridgewater, a grass roots non-profit organization, was formed in 2017, working in partnership with citizens, to address criminal activity and improve the quality of life in and around Bridgewater, Iowa.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — One of the five people charged with the shooting death of a man during a 2017 Davenport robbery has taken a plea deal. Scott County District Court records say 20-year-old Darrell Williams Jr. pleaded guilty Friday to burglary. The deal says prosecutors will dismiss murder and conspiracy charges in exchange. He’s scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 12. He’s a resident of East Moline, Illinois.

Williams and four other people were charged with the Sept. 22, 2017, slaying of 20-year-old Brady Tumlinson and wounding of Tumlinson’s girlfriend. Tristin Alderman and D’marithe Culbreath were sentenced to life in prison. Nakita Wiseman was given 35 years for his role. Christopher Dixon has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go on trial Aug. 26.